Educational Video Games for Learning English Vocabulary

Abstract

Researchers have been exploring the potential of educational video games for learning English vocabulary. The primary focus is on two questions: (1) Can educational video games motivate students to learn English vocabulary (which explores students' attitudes)? and (2) Are educational video games effective in acquiring English vocabulary (which explores learning outcomes)? Good quality empirical research on this is rare because of the shortage of games specific to educational purposes. In addition, although some researchers have contributed to answering these two questions, their methodology is not convincing. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide an overview of their methodologies by introducing participant groups, popular educational video games, pre-test, post-test, and data analysis. Finally, this chapter will inspire researchers to conduct more reliable empirical research, thereby making better-found contributions to the field.